President Donald Trump has personally interviewed candidates for US attorney positions in New York and Washington, an unusual action for a president, people familiar with the meetings said, and now a senator may try to keep nominees who meet with Trump from being confirmed.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the move to personally interview the candidates “alarming” and “troubling” in an interview with CNN.
“What’s most alarming about the President interviewing these particular candidates for US attorney positions is that these chief federal prosecutors are going to decide whether to indict Trump campaign advisers or staff if there’s collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians proven and possibly consider criminal charges against the President himself,” the Connecticut Democrat said.
There is a “potential coercive and intimidating aspect of” the meetings, Blumenthal added, saying he has spoken to fellow senators about “potentially blocking any nominees who have been interviewed by the President.”
CNN previously reported that Trump’s nominee to head the US attorney office in Washington, Jessie Liu, met with the President before being nominated. Liu has since been confirmed.
Preet Bharara, the former US attorney in Manhattan, said that Trump also held interviews with candidates for US attorney offices overseeing Manhattan and Brooklyn.
New York’s southern district, which encompasses Manhattan, is the home of Trump Tower and the US attorney atop the district would have the authority to investigate cases related to the President’s vast dealings in the jurisdiction.
“I understand that he’s personally interviewed the potential applicants for US attorney in Manhattan and Brooklyn and one in Washington, DC — which happen to be places where Donald Trump has property and assets and companies — and not interviewed personally US attorneys for other positions,” Bharara said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room.” Wednesday. “I think that reasonably raises a number of questions.”
Bharara did not say who the candidates were.
A White House official defended Trump’s meetings, telling CNN on Thursday that Senate Democrats are trying to “reduce this President’s constitutional powers” by complaining about him meeting with these candidates.
“These are individuals that the President nominates and the Senate confirms under Article II of the Constitution,” the official said. “We realize Senate Democrats would like to reduce this President’s constitutional powers, but he and other Presidents before him and after may talk to individuals nominated to positions within the executive branch.”
Trump in March fired Bharara from his position leading New York’s southern district in a move that drew scrutiny after Bharara said the President had previously told him he could stay in the job. At the time, Attorney General Jeff Sessions had asked Bharara and 45 other US attorneys appointed under the Obama administration to resign. Bharara met with Trump during the transition as well.
During a Senate judiciary committee hearing Wednesday, Sessions appeared to confirm Blumenthal’s assertion that Trump was involved personally in candidate interviews, saying “yes, we’ve done quite a number,” though he later backtracked, adding, “I’m not sure I remember whether he had interviewed for New York but if you say so I assume so, and he has the right to for sure because he has to make an appointment and I assume everybody would understand that.”
Asked to expand, Justice Department spokesman said he would not comment on personnel matters.
Liu disclosed in congressional fillings that she had met with Trump during the interview process.
“I attended formal interviews at the Department of Justice, including with the attorney general,” Liu wrote in a questionnaire submitted to the Senate judiciary committee. “I also interviewed with representatives of the White House Counsel’s Office and then met the President with the White House counsel.”